Short Summary

Israeli soldiers on Sunday (2 March) evicted about 50 would-be Jewish squatters who attempted an unauthorised settlement halfway between Jerusalem and Jericho on the occupied west bank of Jordan.

Description

Israeli soldiers on Sunday (2 March) evicted about 50 would-be Jewish squatters who attempted an unauthorised settlement halfway between Jerusalem and Jericho on the occupied west bank of Jordan.

The group,almost all of them members of a religious group which believes that all of the biblical land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people and should be open to settlement, offered only passive resistance when the soldiers broke into their make shift huts at Ma'ale Adumin. The squatters were only in possession of the land for a few hours.

The area has already been earmarked for industrial development, but not farming, by the Israeli Government. It has promised to consider the squatters' request.

Similar attempts last spring and summer, in different parts of the territory, were broken up by the army at Government orders.

Following last week's announcement by Israeli Army officials that travels restrictions between the occupied areas of the Gaza stria and West Bank of Jordan would be completely lifted, allowing residents of Samaria and Judea to make visits without the need for special passes, hundreds of cars made their way on Sunday (2 July) from Gaza through Israel to Qalqilia and other towns of the West Bank.

AS TENSION CONTINUES TO MOUNT IN THE MIDDLE EAST, WITH REGULAR REPORTS OF BORDER CLASHES BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HER ARAB NEIGHBOURS, ISRAEL'S MILITARY LEADER GENERAL MOSHE DAYAN VISITED AREAS ON THE OCCUPIED WEST BANK OF JORDAN ON WEDNESDAY (AUGUST 20).

A small step towards easing the travel restrictions between Israel and Jordan was taken on Thursday, when Israeli and West Bank buses crossed into Jordan, and Jordanian buses crossed to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, over the Allenby Bridge.